How I Met Your Mother: Could We See a Barney Stinson Spinoff, Like Joey?

When How I Met Your Mother finished up one year ago some fans held out hope for a spinoff that would keep the HIMYM world alive.

Then, the predictably titled spinoff How I Met Your Dad went into production and the debates began - should the same concept be behind the spinoff or should it be a completely new show based around the life of a HIMYM character that fans want to know more about?

How I Met Your Dad

Greta Gerwig in How I Met Your Dad

The awfully adorable Greta Gerwig was cast in the lead role, rom-com queen Meg Ryan was on board and things were looking good for the new series. It was going to be about Sally, who also hangs out at McLaren's and who meets her true love there.

Until networks decided it was not worth picking up.

The pilot episode was rejected by HIMYM network CBS and despite efforts to shop it around to rival networks, there were no takers and no other episodes were developed.

What Now for HIMYM Fans?

Neil Patrick Harris to star in a spinoff?

Since the collapse of How I Met Your Dad, debate has raged as to whether a different, Joey style direct-spinoff could be created.

Many fans have called for a Barney Stinson spin off, given Neil Patrick Harris' scene-stealing role in the series. But given the attention already paid to Barney's life and personality (at one point HIMYM really began to feel like 'The Neil Patrick Harris Show', which wasn't necessarily a bad thing), the show could easily become a one-joke wonder and could flop as badly as the Friends spinoff, Joey.

The (luckily) very forgettable show, 'Joey'

How I Met Your Mother was already the big comeback show for Neil Patrick Harris - formerly best known to all as Doogie Howser, M.D!

Plus, he doesn't need to keep doing it, cause he is off doing bigger and better things already -

Spinoff for Ranjit or Punchy?

Other fans would like to see a spin-off series that explores a lesser-known character, like Ted's annoying school friend Punchy or the gang's frequent chauffeur, Ranjit.

This approach has been compared to that of the creators of Frasier, who cleverly adapted the series around the character in Cheers about which viewers knew the least. In fact, Cheers is practically irrelevant to Frasier, apart from the very occasional episode when characters visit and strengthen the crossover's connection to it.

Unfortunately though, this sort of crossover spinoff seems unlikely to occur to How I Met Your Mother any time soon.

Fans will have to despair for a little longer

Instead, fans will have to wait and see if Ted's kids grow up and can lead their own series (How I Met Your Brother (in-law) perhaps?).

Do you want to see a spinoff for [How I Met Your Mother](series:200728) ? Were you looking forward to seeing [How I Met Your Dad](series:1160898) ? Who do you think would make the ideal focus for a spinoff series?

Poll

Would you like to see a Barney Stinson-centred spinoff series?

Yes! It would be amazing!

If it showed Barney before he met the others.

If it showed Barney as a father.

No way! It would probably be as bad as Joey.

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